Future Moments

Photo by Jinho Jung

With spring fast approaching it is time to look back at the great consumer tech future moments of the first quarter of 2011. We feel that you would be hard pressed to find achievements that either represent the future or create the feeling that we do, in fact, live in the future. So, without further ado we bring you:

1. PixelOptics

During the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 this past January we were witness to a true first world “Woah!” moment of the year. PixelOptics was demonstrating a pair of “electronic spectacle” lenses. By passing an electrical current through the crystals in the lens the view is able to focus on either near or far objects, eliminating the need for bifocals or progressive lenses. You need to watch the video demonstration from the show floor, it is very impressive.

The iPad 2 was only released last week, so how could it be already have reached the potential to be a future moment? Even with its improvements the iPad 2 is overall an admittedly underwhelming device. However, like any piece of hardware, it is the additional software or in this case, the additional hardware, that can really make it shine. As evidence I point to the crew who installed an iPad 2 on the dashboard of an F-150 pickup truck. Music jukebox? Check. GPS? Check. Fastcase on the go? Check. FaceTime video calls while you drive? Check. Dangerous? Probably, but the sheer potential for productivity needs to be recognized.

Hopefully this spring will feature equally if not greater tech wizardry for us.

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